Spatio-temporal variation in predation by urban domestic cats (Felis catus) and the acceptability of possible management actions in the UK.

ABSTRACT: Urban domestic cat (Felis catus) populations can attain exceedingly high densities and are not limited by natural prey availability. This has generated concerns that they may negatively affect prey populations, leading to calls for management. We enlisted cat-owners to record prey returned home to estimate patterns of predation by free-roaming pets in different localities within the town of Reading, UK and questionnaire surveys were used to quantify attitudes to different possible management strategies. Prey return rates were highly variable: only 20% of cats returned ≥4 dead prey annually. Consequently, approximately 65% of owners received no prey in a given season, but this declined to 22% after eight seasons. The estimated mean predation rate was 18.3 prey cat⁻¹ year⁻¹ but this varied m

SUBMITTER: Thomas RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3500283 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature